The Jena Six

I’ve been watching the Jena Six case. You know – in Jena, La, where some white teens thought it would be hilarious to hang three nooses on a tree where some black teens had sat down, and a year of increasing tension followed with fights and arson and white kids being charged with mopery and black kids being charged with felonies. And an internet-driven protest brought reportedly 20,000 protesters to the little town of 2,000 souls. (Where did they all go to the bathroom?)

Events like this have a way of bringing out the stupid in everyone. What’s the dumbest statement to come out of the whole sorry affair?

We’ve made progress, yes. But I think our problem today is classism as an echo of racism. Some aspects of black culture appear to be poisoned by past oppressions and ill-conceived remedies. Some aspects of white culture seem to be in deep denial. (Overlooking the absurd idea that either blacks or whites have a monolithic culture.) Truly the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons and the son’s sons, and down through the generations. It does not help that so many “leaders” are preening opportunists trying to get in front of the camera any way they can.

I’ve read a lot of chatter online that attempted murder was the right charge. That seems unlikely; if six athletic kids don’t kill one unconscious guy on the ground, and he ends up with only minor injuries, they weren’t trying to kill him.. But it is still assault and last I checked, that is a crime.

25 September – our favorite Louisiana blogger has this update: a Michigan congressman is trying to get one of the 6 released, and Rev. Sharpton says the “next step is nonviolent civil disobedience”. I predict there will be more violence. Someone in this country IS keeping racism alive and well, and this cartoon sums it up pretty well

Roland Martin writes: “Frankly, I wish the crowds in Jena were far more integrated. I was hoping more whites would show up to express their displeasure with this justice system.”

It’s possible they would, if it weren’t Al Sharpton leading the parade.

The problem here, of course, is that there are no good guys, only good straw men. Nooses under the “whites only” tree that were really only “jokes.” Thugs with histories of multiple assaults being treated as victims. Prosecutors with apparent double standards. And Rev. Al there, ready to beat up the band and get himself back into the headlines. Feh.